Woman took ‘eye off the ball’ after son had been stabbed

Six penalty points were imposed on a woman last Friday at Craigavon Magistrates Court for driving without insurance.

Grace McClatchey (50), Princess Gardens, Portadown, was also fined £200 for the offence which happened on September 3 last year.

For not having a driving licence she was fined £100 and she was fined £50 for not having a vehicle test certificate.

The court heard she was stopped on the Seagoe Road, Portadown, at 5.35pm and was unable to produce her driving documents.

A defence solicitor said his client’s licence had expired and the insurance had lapsed while there was an issue with the MOT. When her son had purchased the vehicle it had MOT but it had expired. He explained that in and around this time his client’s son had been stabbed and nearly died. The solicitor said this was why she had ‘taken her eye off the ball’ and there were things that were going on that took its toll on the family.